Pastel Art Classes Begin February 25

Franklin Public Schools            Lifelong Learning Institute   THE CENTER FOR ADULT EDUCATION and COMMUNITY LEARNING  is pleased to announce   PASTEL CLASS Don't wait  ........  start painting now Pick up a pastel stick and work with one of the oldest art medium known to man. Seeing pure pigment on a surface will heighten your interest to place color where you want it, where it stays.  Color is all around us and we will capture some of it with pastels.   We will begin with working with different strokes, shapes, design, negative/positive space, layering, minimal blending, and graduated color.   You will learn how to preserve your completed work.  There will be one-on-one attention, tips and techniques, and working from still life set ups, moving onto land/seascape compositions with weekly critiques to further one's learning experience. February 25 through March 31 Franklin High School 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm $75.00 Register Now The class is taught by GAIL ECKBERG, a full-time teaching artist 218 Oak Street, Franklin, MA 02038, adulted@franklin.k12.ma.us, 508-613-1480

Forward this email FPS- Lifelong Learning | 355 East Central Street | Franklin | MA | 02038

Random Smile Project Gala - March 12

Random Smile Project (RSP)  is celebrating 10 years of community service with our Gala on March 12th at the Providence Convention Center there will be 

• Live and Silent auction
• Dinner and Dancing with the Grab Brothers Band 

Discounted room rates available at the Omni Hotel in Providence. 

Complete information available at www.randomsmile.org/gala/

Random Smile Project Gala - March 12

The Grab Brothers Band will play for your entertainment and dancing

"every conversation is an opportunity to engage and delight customers"

"Interactions, a Franklin-based tech firm backed by $110 million in venture capital funding, has debuted what its CEO calls "game-changing innovations" for its virtual assistant technology. 

The company works to improve conversations between humans and automated customer service software. This week, it announced new technologies that make an automated virtual assistant as smart as a human customer-service agent."

Continue reading the article in the Boston Business Journal
http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/techflash/2016/02/franklin-tech-firm-develops-a-new-kind-of-customer.html

screen grab of Interactions website

Norfolk County Registry of Deeds: Register O'Donnell Reports on Jan '16 Real Estate Activity

	Norfolk County Registry of Deeds
	Register O'Donnell Reports on Jan '16 Real Estate Activity Norfolk County Register of Deeds William P. O'Donnell reported a mostly positive kick-off to the New Year relative to Norfolk County real estate activity for month of January, but a few numbers still need to be closely watched throughout the first quarter of 2016. "I am pleased to report that January 2016 real estate sales activity showed solid gains in both the total number of real estate transactions and total dollar volume of real estate activity, including commercial and residential sales, compared to the same month in 2015," noted Register O'Donnell. 'The number of real estate sales, both commercial and residential, increased a whopping 28% in January. The average sales price during the month was $680,350, a 4% increase compared to January 2015. Total dollar volume of commercial and residential sales also showed solid gains, increasing an impressive 34% to $514.3 million," noted the Register. Continuing his remarks, O'Donnell stated, "The lending market was a mixed bag for the month of January. The total number of mortgages recorded in January was 1,982, a modest 5% increase. However, total mortgage financing actually fell 7% coming in at $764 million. We will need to watch this number closely to see if individuals and business begin to think twice before borrowing money." On the consumer front, Homestead recordings in January increased by 23% year over year. Information regarding the Homestead Act, which provides limited protection against the forced sale of an individual's primary residence to satisfy unsecured debt up to $500,000, can be found on the Registry's website at www.norfolkdeeds.org. Foreclosure activity in Norfolk County continued to be a cause for concern as it does throughout the state. Register O'Donnell stated, "The good news in January was that the number of foreclosure deeds fell by 25% year over year. However, when it comes to foreclosures, we are by no means out of the woods. What is troubling is the big increase in the amount of Notice to Foreclose Mortgage recordings, the first step in the foreclosure process. In January, 97 Notice to Foreclose Mortgage filings were recorded as compared to 59 in January 2015. This is a clear indication that despite the good economy in eastern Massachusetts, some of our neighbors continue to face economic hardship. "The Registry of Deeds continues to work with its partners Quincy Community Action Programs and Neighbor Works Southern Mass to help homeowners who have received a Notice to Foreclose Mortgage. Another option for homeowners who are facing the challenges of meeting their monthly mortgage payment is to contact the Attorney General's HomeCorps program for assistance." Register O'Donnell concluded, "The data clearly shows that the Norfolk County market is on solid footing. As the next 12 to 18 months progresses, it will also be interesting to see how much the General Electric headquarters move to Boston will impact the local housing market. However, a story that may have just the opposite effect is the recent decline in the stock market. Individuals who are seeing significant losses in their portfolios may pause before considering a real estate purchase or home improvement. Another factor not to be discounted is the real estate inventory, which if remains low, can have a negative impact on real estate sales, particularly for first-time home buyers." To learn more about these and other Registry of Deeds events and initiatives, like us at facebook.com/NorfolkDeeds or follow us on twitter.com/NorfolkDeeds. The Norfolk County Registry of Deeds, located at 649 High Street, Dedham, is the principal office for real property in Norfolk County. The Registry is a resource for homeowners, title examiners, mortgage lenders, municipalities and others with a need for secure, accurate, accessible land record information. Residents in need of assistance can contact the Registry of Deeds Customer Service Center at (781) 461-6101, or on the web at www.norfolkdeeds.org. Register William P. O'Donnell Norfolk County Registry of Deeds email: registerodonnell@norfolkdeeds.org phone: 781-234-3336 web: http://www.norfolkdeeds.org

Forward email Norfolk County Registry of Deeds | 649 High Street | Dedham, | MA | 02026-1831

screen grab of the Norfolk Deeds Consumer Alert webpage

FHS girls and boys basketball top King Philip

Girls Basketball

• King Philip, 30 @ Franklin, 45 – Final

Tipoff to start the game

Boys Basketball

• King Philip, 42 @ Franklin, 64 – Final

FHS free throw in 1Q

Ryan Lanigan, Editor in Chief of Hockomock Sports, provides the detail write up on the boys game:

Despite holding the league’s best record, Franklin was starting to develop a bad habit. 

For the past three games the Panthers have had sluggish starts and have had to battle their way back. 

Based on how Franklin started on Sunday afternoon, it looks like they’ve snapped out of it. 

Franklin started out with full court pressure and forced three consecutive turnovers in just over two minutes of play and forced another that resulted pointed and by the halfway mark of the first quarter grabbed hold of a 16-4 lead. After a timeout from the Warriors, Franklin continued its pressure and ended to quarter on a 8-4 run to take a 24-8 lead after just a quarter of play.

Continue to read the article online
http://www.hockomocksports.com/franklin-uses-fast-start-in-sunday-matinee-win-over-kp/

Hockomock Sports photos from swim championships

Photos from the Hockomock League Swim Championships have been posted by Hockomock Sports. The FHS girls team won on Saturday. The KP boys team won on Sunday and the FHS boys finished 7th.

FHS swimmer checking the results (Hockomock Sports photo)

girls meet photos

https://hockomocksports.smugmug.com/20152016/Winter-201516/Hockomock-Girls-Swim/i-r77LSfP

boys meet photos

https://hockomocksports.smugmug.com/20152016/Winter-201516/Hockomock-Boys-Swim/

KP wins boys title

http://www.hockomocksports.com/kp-back-on-top-at-hockomock-swim-championship/

In the News: electrical aggregation, SAFE outreach, bone marrow drive, pajama and sock drive

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin

The town has contracted with an area company as it continues to explore a move that could bring down residents' power bills. 

Deputy Town Administrator Jamie Hellen announced that the town has reached an agreement with Marlborough firm Colonial Power Group, and will be pursuing municipal electrical aggregation solutions with them. 

"I think they've contracted with two or three other communities in the area," he said. "In all, I believe they have half a million customers in their portfolio."

Colonial Power Group

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160207/franklin-moves-forward-with-aggregation

A task force aimed at combating the current opioid epidemic is looking at several ways to reach out to area addicts, including possible police "ride alongs." 

James Derick, president of the Support for Addicts and Families by Empowerment (SAFE) Coalition, spoke - before a recent lecture by Harvard Professor Robert Putnam - of several initiatives the group is undertaking. 

One of the coalition's goals, Derick said, is to reach out to addicts in need of help. To that end, it has applied for grants to ride along with area police departments on certain drug calls.

Safe Coalition

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160207/franklin-safe-looks-at-outreach-for-addicts

Residents gathered for a bone marrow donor registration drive Saturday in support of a Franklin resident’s sister who is searching for a bone marrow match. 

Jennifer Felicetti, a New Jersey resident, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia after being hospitalized on Christmas Eve. She is currently receiving aggressive treatment, but doctors think a bone marrow transplant is her best option in hopes of beating the disease. 

There are no matching donors in her family so Felicetti is now on a waiting list to find a matching donor somewhere in the world.

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160206/bone-marrow-drive-supports-franklin-family

The Student Government at Jefferson Elementary School is conducting a pajama and sock drive through Feb. 12 to benefit the Friends of Foster Care and Comfort Cases for kids. All collected pajamas and socks will be included within a backpack and delivered to the children as they begin their journey with a new foster home.

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20160206/jefferson-elementary-school-holding-pajama-sock-drive

Franklin Public Schools: School Closing on Monday, Feb 8

A message from FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT

Hello 

Based on the most recent report from our weather service, snowfall predictions will be greater than predicted. 

All schools closed on Monday 2/8- No evening activities. 

Central Administration  Offices will be open unless notified otherwise. 

Thank You

This e-mail has been sent to you by FRANKLIN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT. To maximize their communication with you, you may be receiving this e-mail in addition to a phone call with the same message. 

the new artificial turf field at FHS is covered with snow

Yes, Franklin - the Town is improving its communications

In case you haven't noticed, there have been some significant changes to the Town of Franklin webpage. The page itself looks and functions much the same but the information placed there and the timeliness of the info there is what I think is worthy.

• On the Town Council page, instead of grabbing all nine emails to send them something, you can now do so with one click.

screen grab of Franklin Town Council webpage

• Franklin TV has enabled an RSS feed for the videos that get posted for the town meetings that are recorded. Yes, now you can get notified via RSS that the Town Council meeting video is available! (If you don't already have an RSS reader, you can find more about that here or here or here (video)).

top part of video webpage

bottom page of webpage with RSS subscription button

• But the best yet is that the Town is now using their "Town News" section to post meeting agenda and actions. The recent Town Council agenda and actions are seen here. Hopefully, the School Committee and others will appear there too!. (yes, one can hope!)

Town News is showing real highlights

To make it easy for you, here is are the actions from last Wednesday's Town Council meeting.



Deputy Town Administrator Jamie Hellen asked me when we got together to compare notes recently, "if as the Town did improve their communications, would I be worried about not having something to do?" No, not at all I said. I would much rather have Franklin provide the timely and accessible information so all the citizens can get what they need easily. If that times does come around, I am sure I can find something else to do. Until then, I'll do what I think is needed to share the information.

FHS girls’ swimming program brought home its first Hockomock Championship title

"After back-to-back seasons of finishing in second place to its league rivals, the Franklin girls’ swimming program brought home its first Hockomock Championship title with a dominating performance on Saturday at the Milford High pool. 

The Panthers finished with an overall team total of 383, more than 100 points better than defending champion King Philip’s total of 264. The top five was rounded out by Taunton (230), Sharon (186) and North Attleboro (186). 

The championship meet was the culmination of a season of first for the Panthers, who also finished undefeated in the dual meet season and won the Kelley-Rex title for the first time in the seven-year history of the program. 

“This is a big deal,” said Franklin coach Jess Pridham. “For the last two years we’ve been runners up and I can’t take credit for their talent. I’m just the chessmaster. I put together the best meet possible and their talent has brought us this far.”

Continue reading the article online
http://www.hockomocksports.com/franklin-claims-first-hockomock-swimming-title/

Franklin girls swim team takes first Hockomock Championship

Franklin News from around the social media

• On Facebook, Jeff Roy posted about the FHS Mock Trial team winning their first case. FHS Teacher Mike Walsh added that 

"What Jeff Roy neglected to mention is that he has been volunteering his time to help us prepare for this complicated case. Meant a lot to the kids that you came to cheer them on today."

Delighted to see some talented young litigators from Franklin High School try a case in the Marlborough District Court....
Posted by Jeff Roy on Thursday, February 4, 2016

• The Franklin Chargers congratulated Eian Bain on getting the FHS football coaching position and posted Coach Bain letter to the FHS football community.

Coach Bain letter

• Have you heard about the "Helping Hands Florist"? Quality flowers prepared with quality attention by a group from HMEA. Hmm, Valentine's Day is coming!

Helping Hands Florist

MassBudget: Analyzing the Governor's FY 2017 Budget

MassBudget    Information.    Participation.  Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center    Democracy. Analyzing the Governor's FY 2017 Budget  The Governor's budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2017 is best described as an austerity budget. It contains small cuts and spending reductions across government and includes few new initiatives. Our newly released Budget Monitor analyzes the budget in detail. Many of the reductions are due to the early retirement program implemented this year. Perhaps the most important question this budget raises is how those cuts will affect the quality of services provided by our government. With fewer people working at the Department of Environmental Protection (where the Governor proposes a 7 percent reduction in funding), will our state's ability to enforce the laws that keep our air and water clean be degraded? With reductions at the Department of Revenue (where this budget proposes 13 percent less funding), will it be harder for honest taxpayers to get answers from the department and will it be easier for those corporations and other sophisticated taxpayers who seek to evade taxes to avoid paying the taxes they owe? Similar issues will arise across state government, and we won't know the answers until after the budget takes effect. On the positive side, this budget proposal continues efforts to hire more social workers at the Department of Children and Families so that caseloads will decline and our front line workers can better protect children who are at risk of abuse or neglect. The proposal also funds new efforts to address the opioid addiction crisis, including an additional $9.1 million for the Department of Public Health's Bureau of Substance Abuse Services to support increased prevention and treatment efforts. The budget reduces the state's reliance on temporary revenue and makes a small deposit into the stabilization fund. But six years into an economic recovery, the budget is still being balanced with temporary revenue, including $150 million that existing law dedicates to the stabilization fund. This continues a long-term pattern we have seen since the state cut income taxes by over $3 billion between 1998 and 2002: deep cuts in recessions, barely balanced budgets in the best of times, and chronic structural budget gaps. This pattern has real world consequences: our Commonwealth has not been able to make important investments in the education and skills of our workers and in the integrity of our transportation infrastructure that could strengthen our economy in the long run. This Budget Monitor examines the Governor's FY 2017 budget proposal in the context of these long-term trends. For the full Budget Monitor, click HERE. The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, 15 Court Square, Suite 700, Boston, MA 02108 Sent by nberger@massbudget.org in collaboration with Try it free today

MA State Budget Funding History

FHS girls and boys hockey team post wins on Saturday

Boys Hockey

• Franklin, 3 vs. Newburyport, 1 – Final 

– Sophomore Jeremy Miller netted a hat trick to guide Franklin to a big non-league win.

FHS Panthers

Girls Hockey

• Franklin, 5 @ Martha’s Vineyard, 1 – Final

Wrestling

• MIWCA D1 Dual Tournament (Franklin) 

– Franklin placed fifth overall. The Panthers beat BC High (38-28) but lost to St. John’s Prep (41-21). Franklin finished the meet with wins over Plymouth South (40-27) and Framingham (34-26).

For the other results around the Hockomock League on Saturday
http://www.hockomocksports.com/saturdays-schedule-scoreboard-020616/

NationalGrid: Snow Storm Restoration Update - 2/6/16 AM

To view this email as a web page, click here.

National Grid Storm Restoration Update A message to our customers — February 6, 2016 Good Morning, What a difference a day makes – skies are clear and the sun is shining. Yesterday's snow storm hit the region harder than originally forecasted, and the heavy, wet snow caused significant outages.  We are grateful for your patience as our crews work to repair downed wires and restore all outages. Less than 24 hours from the start of the storm, we had already restored power to close to 80% of impacted customers in MA, and 60% of impacted customers in RI. We intend to complete the vast majority of restoration by midnight today. If you are still without electric service, please let us know by calling 1-800-465-1212, or via Outage Central. Above all, please stay safe – watch for sagging wires, tree branches, and slick surfaces. For more safety tips, use your mobile device to visit us at www.nationalgrid.com. Stay connected National Grid provides multiple channels for customers to learn about service issues and interruptions during storms. Customers can follow the storm on their mobile devices by using the National Grid mobile app or texting the word STORM to NGRID (64743). The company provides real time outage information on its Outage Central web site. National Grid also provides storm and restoration updates through Facebook and Twitter Thank you for trusting us to help you meet your energy needs. National Grid Here with you. Here for you.   Connect Now Visit us online at nationalgrid.com/

This email was sent by: National Grid 300 Erie Blvd W Syracuse NY 13202 U.S.A.

NationalGrid outage map as of 8:00 PM 2/6/16

Reminder: Franklin Newcomers and Friends February Meeting Information - Feb 10

Please join the Franklin Newcomers and Friends for our version of Antique Roadshow, starring Lydia Kirchthurn, a Newcomers alum. We'll be upstairs in a private room at Restaurant "3" at 7:30pm on Wednesday, Feb 10.

Franklin Newcomers

Lydia Kirchthurn is an old soul, and she has always loved antiques and the stories behind them. So in 2005 when she left her career in education to raise her children she started her new adventures with antiques. First she started buying antiques at yard sales and thrift stores and selling them on EBAY. Then she started selling her friend's antiques on EBAY, then whole houses of antiques, eventually working at a high end auction house run by an Antique Roadshow Alum. While at the auction house she realized that her passion for antiques and their stories included something unexpected - a connection to the spirits of the people who owned them. 

In 2014 Lydia left the Auction business and enrolled in the Rhys Thomas School of Energy Medicine where she is currently studying and honing her unique gift. Now she is uniting her worlds and offering unique antique appraisals and communication with the spirits attached to them. 

If you have a small, antique, family heirloom, feel free to bring it. Lydia will examine as many pieces as she can to reveal their value and possibly a story! Something personal, like jewelry, would be best.

As always, we welcome all to join us. Heavy appetizers and non-alcoholic beverages are complimentary.

• To keep up with Lydia, you can read her blog here

http://lydiadustin.blogspot.com/